


bishop's knife trick

by MissCali2015



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fall Out Boy Lyrics, Gen, Infinity War Fix-It (Kinda), Loki (Marvel) Redemption, Loki trying to be a good guy, Missing Scene, Missing scene between Ragnarok and Infinity War, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor being a good King
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCali2015/pseuds/MissCali2015
Summary: It was a night like any other on the space freighter that had become Asgard. Loki was quiet. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, but then Thor noticed a strange look on Loki’s face… Thor wasn’t sure what he could say to convince his brother everything would work out just fine. He suspected he would just have to prove it when the time came. That is, if Loki would even give him the chance.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	bishop's knife trick

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic a **long** time ago, before Infinity War even came out. I believe it was in response to the trailers that showed Loki with the bad guys and I was like, no. After everything Thor and Loki have been through together, there is no way he’s going to betray Thor AGAIN. I guess technically I was right, but I still would have loved to NOT see him get chocked out by the purple thumb. Anyway, Ragarnok Loki deserves rights, so here’s my take on how the time between Ragnarok and Infinity War should have unfolded. 
> 
> This fic is also inspired by the song “Bishop's Knife Trick” by Fall Out Boy. In it, Loki quotes from the bridge of the song. You can imagine him simply saying the words, or singing if you enjoy musicals. I highly recommend listening to the song or reading the lyrics. I can’t hear it and not think about Thor and Loki. Here is the full bridge:   
>    
>  _I'm sifting through sand, sand, sand, sand  
>  Looking for pieces of broken hourglass  
> Trying to get it all back, put it back together  
> As if the time had never passed  
> I know I should walk away, know I should walk away  
> But I just want to let you break my brain  
> And I can't seem to get a grip  
> No matter how I live with it _

It was a night like any other on the space freighter that had become Asgard. Thor, Loki, Heimdall and Valkyrie were huddled around a makeshift dinner table, sharing some of the few provisions they had found around the ship. Thor always made sure all his people had gotten something to eat for that day before eating anything himself. Valkyrie has swigging occasionally from one of her flasks she had gotten aboard, laughing at Thor who was accounting some of his misadventures from Midgard. Loki was quiet. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, but after a few moments when conversation had slowed, Thor noticed a strange look on Loki’s face. His eyes were distant, unfocused. He had a vague look of melancholy, and Thor noticed the hadn’t touched any of his food. 

“Everything okay brother?” he asked tentatively

“Why?” said Loki instantly, but taking a second to focus on Thor. 

“You just seem quiet.” 

“I’m just not a fan of your Midgardian stories is all,” he said casually. 

“You’re not excited to meet my friends?” Thor asked innocently. 

“You mean the people who want me dead?” his face twisted into a grimace. “Not particularity.” 

Valkyrie snorted, Thor gave her a side-eyed look. 

“Hey I mean,” Valkyrie started, “I wanted you dead when I first met you. But after being trapped on a space ship with you for weeks, I only want you dead sometimes!” Thor gave her a look and Loki just smiled fakely. 

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me.” 

“I know, right?” she took another swig from the flask and Thor rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t worry Loki, I know it might not be easy to convince them you’re on our side, but I’m sure they would much rather have you as an ally than an enemy." 

“I’m not so sure about that…” he said quietly. 

Thor frowned discontentedly. He and Loki (along with Valkyrie, Korg, and even Hulk) had already had multiple discussions about if going to Earth was their best option. After many fights, yelling, and objects being thrown, Loki had finally conceded. _“If you think it’s right… I will follow you… my king.”_ he had added with a sly wink. Thor had rolled his eye, but pulled his brother into a tight hug anyway. _“I won’t let anything bad happen to you, don’t worry,”_ he whispered. _“We defeated Hela. We survived Ragarnok. What can mortals do to stop Thor and Loki?”_ This has gotten a small smile out of Loki. It was nice to believe the two brothers could really work together again to stop any foe… 

Thor wasn’t sure what he could say to convince his brother everything would work out just fine. He suspected he would just have to prove it when the time came. 

// 

The next day Thor had done his daily round of this ship. Stopping and talking to each family and group, making sure everyone had enough to eat, were comfortable with their sleeping arrangements, were getting exercise and finding things to do. He would linger with the children who had lost their parents, playing games and telling stories. His heart ached for them. He encouraged them to hold tight to each other. He told them “I lost my parents too. And I think about them every day. But I have my brother, Loki. So I’m not alone. And you’re not alone either, because you have each other.”

That’s when he realized he hadn’t seen Loki all day. Again this wasn’t too unusual, sometimes he could disappear for days at a time, apparently hiding in some dark crevice of the ship, and usually Thor would let him have his privacy. They were both dealing with their parent’s death and the guilt of destroying their home, and they dealt with pain and anger in different ways. Thor liked to be around people, and Loki liked to be alone. Still, since Loki had seemed off the night before, Thor had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and after saying goodbye to kids, headed off to the direction on Loki’s room. On the way, he passed Valkyrie. 

“My king,” she said with a smirk as she passed. Noticing the concerned look on Thor’s face, she turned to follow him asking, “Everything alright?” 

Thor hesitated. “Have you seen Loki today?” 

Valkyrie frowned. “No… I haven’t. Why? Do you think anything is wrong?” 

“I don’t know… Just keep an eye out for him will you?” 

“Yeah, of course. Do you want me to ask Hiemdall?” 

“No, no,” Thor said quickly, not wanting to bother Hiemdall with something silly or spy on his brother if he wanted to be left alone. “It’s probably nothing.” 

Valkyrie nodded and gave Thor a gentle punch on the arm before heading back in the opposite direction. 

Thor continued down the corridor that leads to Loki’s bunk, stomach clenched and heartbeat picking up. He wasn’t sure why his body was having this reaction. It wasn’t the first time Loki had disappeared… 

Finally, he reached the room. The metal door was slightly ajar, but a light could be seen coming from inside. “Loki?” he asked, pushing the door open slightly. 

When there was no response the opened the door fully and stepped inside. It was empty, no Loki. The room was sparse. A small bunk bed, a table and chair. Thor looked around uneasily. Then he noticed something out of place. There was a folded piece of paper sitting on the table. It gave off an eerie, green glow. Thor recognized it; Loki’s magic. Sense of dread in no way lessened, he hurried to the table and slowly, cautiously, grabbed the piece of paper. (Thor realized it was entirely possible this could all be a big prank.) 

The paper felt warm but didn’t burn him or seem to have any other negative side effects, so carefully he unfolded it. He recognized Loki’s handwriting immediately. When he read the first word on the page; _Thor_ the green magic swirled off the page and seemed to wrap its self around him. Soon the harsh, fluorescent lights of the room started to fade away, and then the room its self until it appeared Thor was standing in a different room entirely. It felt familiar but different. Then Thor heard the word he had just read, but it was Loki’s voice. He looked around, confused, searching for Loki. Had he transported them somewhere? Or was this just a trick? 

“Where are you?” Thor demanded. 

Loki didn’t appear, but he heard the word again, as if Loki was standing right behind him. 

_“Thor.”_

For some reason he knew he had to continue to read the words on the page to understand this riddle, so he looked back down, and started to read aloud. 

_“Thor. I'm sifting through the sand, looking for pieces of broken hourglass…”_

At this, the magic in the air started to shift and swirl around him again. Thor looked up. He was even more confused, he didn’t understand what he was reading. What Loki was trying to tell him? Then within the mist of magic, Thor started to see something. It was… him. Him and Loki. Just standing there. Looking at each other. He ripped his eye off the bizarre site so he could keep reading. This time as he did, Loki’s voice joined him. 

_“Trying to get it all back, put it back together…”_

The vision of the two brothers changed. Instead of facing each other, they faced apart, Loki holding his scepter, Thor holding Molinjor. 

" _As if the time had never passed…”_

Thor blinked and vision changed again. He saw them as kids. Facing away at first, but then turned towards each other, smiling and laughing. Thor could see their lips moving but couldn’t hear a word. It looked like they were teasing each other. Then they were younger men, faces carefree, before the weight of the world fell on their shoulders. Their hair appeared ruffled in the wind, as the young Thor was apparently enthralled in telling a story, and Loki was listening, rolling his eyes and clearly trying to act unimpressed, but there was still a small smile on his lips, and pride in his eyes. Then Thor said something that made Loki laugh outright. Laugh and smile for real. Seeing it made Thor’s heart break. When was the last time he saw that look on his brother’s face? 

_“I know I should walk away…”_

Suddenly it seemed as if the light had left the room. The vision-Loki was alone. Older, darker. 

_“But I just want to let you break my brain…”_

Suddenly vision-Thor was there again. The two looked at each other in a forlorn way. Thor started walking closer to Loki, until one hand was behind his neck, the other hand still clutching Molinjor. Thor thought he could almost hear his own words this time… _You give up this poisonous dream! And you come home._

_“And I can’t seem to get a grip…”_

Loki’s face seemed to break. The vision kept changing, but the brightness of Loki’s eye’s remained the same. The longing. The hurt. The hope. The fear. The pain. All in one look. 

The scenery continued to change. Fire, explosions, blue sky, rain, thunder, dark skies, barren landscape. 

_“No matter how I live with it…”_

The vision-Thor had left, and Loki was alone. He turned to face the real Thor, still with that pained look. Thor’s throat was tight. He didn’t know if the Loki he was looking at was real or in his head, but all he wanted to do was pull him into a tight hug and not let go. He urged to reach out and touch him, see if he was even real, but something imposed him to continue reading… Loki’s voice came again. 

_“I’m sorry Thor. When I went back for Surtur’s crown, I saw the Tesseract. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to be a hero… but now I’ve put us all in danger. Maybe I should have just let it get destroyed in Ragnarok. But I wasn’t strong enough.”_

The Loki in front of him pulled out the glowing blue cube from behind his back. Thor’s heart rate picked up even more. Had he really forgotten about the Tesseract this whole time? 

“ _You told me you thought I could be more than the God of Mischief. Now I’m going to find out if I can put that mischief to good use. I’m going after Thanos. It would only be a matter of time until he finds you if I let the Tesseract stay on the ship. I’m not putting Asgard in danger again. I suspect he will be heading to Earth soon enough to collect the Time and Mind Stones. You’ll want to keep an eye on your friends. Even that so-called sorcerer. Once I gain his trust, I will take him down for good.”_

Loki closed his fist and the blue Tesseract faded into mist in his hand. His eyes were determined - vengeful. But then turned softer. 

_“I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye… But I knew would try to talk me out of it. I **have** to do this Thor. I need to see if you were right. If maybe… I can be more.” _

When Thor finished reading the last word, the spell was broken. He was suddenly back in the tiny room abroad the wayward space ship. It seemed impossibly small and far too bright. Loki’s last words still echoed in his head, and Thor could swear his icy blue eyes were burned into his vision. Thor’s brain was still trying to comprehend everything he had just seen and heard. Suddenly his body seemed to give out, and Thor sunk the floor, heart breaking and hot tears burning down his cheeks. He stared down at the letter, hands shaking, the faint green magic all but faded… 

“Thor?” he jumped when he heard his name, but it was Valkyrie who was suddenly there next to him. “What is it? What happened?” She looked completely shaken. No one had seen Thor break down like his. 

“He’s gone.” Thor choked out. His own voice didn’t sound right. 

“What?” 

“He’s gone,” Thor sobbed. “Loki.” his voice cracked. “He’s… _gone._ ” His fists clenched around the letter, and he had to make a conscious effort to unfurl them so the letter wouldn't get destroyed. “He went after Thanos.” Thor finished bitterly. 

“ _Thanos?_ Alone? Thor, are you sure?” Valkyrie looked worried now and had joined Thor on the floor kneeling beside him, hand on his shoulder. 

Thor nodded vigorously. The tears wouldn’t stop coming. He gently placed the letter on the floor so he could rub his eye. “Yes… he said Thanos is after the Infinity Stones… and he has to try to stop him. But how?” Thor was filled with anger, grief and fear all at once. “With mischief and cunning alone!? That’s not how to beat an enemy that powerful!” Thor was talking more to an imagined Loki at this point than to Valkyrie. “We could have done it… should have done it… _together_.” Lighting sparked from Thor’s fists but Valkyrie didn’t flinch. 

“He’s going to get himself killed…” Thor said quietly. “Just so be can the hero.” 

“I wonder how many times he said that same thing about you?” Valkyrie suggested, just as quietly. 

Thor smiled sadly, mind flashing back to the younger versions of the brothers when Loki had yelled at Thor or doing something stupid or reckless. Calling him horrible names, but worried for his wellbeing all the same. 

“You’re right… The thing is… I always knew Loki could be a hero if he wanted to. He never had to prove it to me.” 

“It sounds like he had to prove it to himself,” Valkyrie said after a moment. 

Thor frowned, knowing she was right. He stared down at the letter. The only thing Loki had left him. After a few moments, he picked up the letter again, folded it carefully, and trucked it in his shirt. Thor wiped his face.

“C’mon,” he said to Valkyrie, pushing himself off the ground. “We need to find a faster way to Earth.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there you have it! I could potentially write more, but I think no matter what happens, Loki ends up dying in the end, and I don't particularly want to write that 😂 In my version, Thor and Loki would have much more closure, and Thor would eventually be able to cope with it better. 
> 
> How would _you_ have fixed Thor and Loki's relationship during Infinity War and/or Endgame? I think probably every writer on here could have handled it better than what the Russos came up with. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
